Month: June 2024

 

We are pleased to announce the winners of the two ILA/ACRL Awards.

1.  Mary Iber Spring Conference Scholarship – Congratulations to Kay Hansen!

This conference scholarship award helps fund attendance at the ILA/ACRL and IPAL Spring Conference. This year’s conference was held at the Parks Library, Iowa State University on May 29-39, 2024.

Biography

Kay (Katie) Hansen is a Graduate Assistant and MLIS student with the University of Iowa School of Library and Information Science. After graduating from Iowa State University in 2014, Hansen worked as a digital marketer in the finance industry before transitioning to library sciences in 2023. In their MLIS studies, Hansen is specializing in public libraries with a focus on trauma-informed librarianship and the interconnectivity between public and academic libraries. Currently, Hansen also works as a Circulation Clerk at the Waverly Public Library, in Waverly, Iowa, and will begin their practicum work with Wartburg College’s Vogel Library this fall, before graduating in May of next year. 

Quotes

“For me the greatest benefit of attending this conference is the welcoming network of academic librarians. This group not only renewed my excitement for the library profession, but also helped me laugh and find joy in sessions throughout the day,” said Hansen. 

“The conference round table sessions were one of my favorite portions of the two-day event.” said Hansen. “Meeting other librarians who work face-to-face with patrons was incredibly beneficial, and the ice cream social afterward gave us all a much-appreciated chance to laugh and connect over tv shows, favorite books, and our own unique librarian origin stories. 

2.  Research Award: – Congratulations to Sarah Slaughter!

This award is a $500 grant given to an ILA/ACRL member for a presented or published scholarly work. The award is given in even years.

Citation “‘Get on the Truth Train’: Faculty Perceptions of Misinformation and Disinformation in the Classroom and in the Disciplines.” accepted for publication in 2024 in LOEX Quarterly, 49(4)/50(1). (It will also be included in LOEX Conference Proceedings 2023)

Biography

Sarah Slaughter is a reference and instruction librarian at the University of Dubuque, where she is the liaison to the social, natural, and applied sciences. Her areas of interest include information ethics, intellectual freedom, misinformation, and information literacy pedagogy. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy and German from Lawrence University and an M.A. in Library and Information Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

See the link to the ILA/ACRL Awards page for more information.

 

The ILA/ACRL & IPAL Spring Conference was held on May 29 & 30, 2024 at Parks Library, Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The theme of the conference, “Sustainable Futures,” was woven throughout the sessions and discussions. Commitment to sustainability calls us to integrate environmental health, social equity, and economic vitality in order to foster resilient communities for this and future generations. Yet each year Iowa academic libraries must do more with less. Despite diminishing purchasing power, fewer staff, and shrinking spaces, we are asked to continue to build our collections, offer expanded services and outreach, and contribute to broader campus initiatives. Library and information professionals shared how they are addressing the sustainability issues in libraries and how they are creating new spaces, initiatives, and pathways for the future.

Two awards were presented at the conference. The Mary Iber Spring Conference Scholarship was awarded to Katie Hanson, University of Iowa (student) during the Welcome session and during the Thursday luncheon, the ILA/ACRL Research Award was presented to Sarah Slaughter, University of Dubuque.  See a list of past ILA/ACRL Award winners.

Thanks to our talented Spring Conference Planning Committee: Kris Stacy-Bates (Chair), Mary Anderson (Loras College), Heather Campbell (Iowa State University), Melissa Curtis (Wartburg College), Heather Lewin (Iowa State University), Jen Provorse (University of Iowa), and Pam Rees (Grand View University). Thank you to our generous sponsors: Mobius, Clarivate, Oxford University Press, EBSCO, and IPAL. Much appreciation goes to our wonderful speakers for sharing their expertise with us. And, many, many thanks to everyone who attended! 

We are looking forward to conferencing with you again at Drake University in Des Moines in 2024!

Photographs from the conference:

 

 

 

 

 

 

More information about the organization can be found on the ILA/ACRL Website.